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Beginnings of Secession Movement in Texas

gave rise show that the sentiment which they expressed was byno means unanimous. A Mr. Megginson, in giving his reasons forrefusing to serve as a member of the committee that drew up theresolutions, said that the great questions of the day were thoseinvolving the preservation of the constitution and the protection ofslavery. So far as he could see neither the Whigs nor the Dem-ocrats could be depended upon to defend slavery, for both partiesin the North were fighting it. He could see no use in sendingdelegates to the national convention; the four men from Texascould accomplish nothing there, and the people of Texas wouldnot be benefited in any manner by sending delegates. A Mr.Sherwood declared that he had never found more than three orfour individuals who pretended to defend the institution ofslavery in the abstract; that the people in the No~rth and the peoplein the South had the same feelings on the subject; that it wasan institution prejudicial in its operation to the best interestsof the country; that it was an evil which had been introducedwithout the fault of that generation; that the only apology offeredfor its continuance was the difficulty of abandoning it; that, morethan this, the South had up to that time always agreed with theNorth that Congress had absolute control over the territories, andthat it was then inexpedient to change that view. Louis T. Wig-fall and Ashbel Smith on the other hand, defended the principlesembodied in the resolutions. The latter maintained that no onecould contend that the right to establish or abolish slavery wasconferred upon Congress, and that neither Congress nor a terri-tory could abolish slavery within the borders7 of such territory.constitutionally imposed, or institutions be provided for, or established, in-consistent with the right of the people thereof to form a free sovereignstate, with the powers and privileges of the original members of theConfederacy."Resolved, That, in organizing a territorial government for territorybelonging to the United States, the principles of self-government uponwhich our federated system rests, will be best promoted, the true spiritand meaning of the Constitution observed, and the confederacy strength-ened, by leaving all questions concerning the domestic policy therein tothe legislatures chosen by the people thereof." Henate Journal, 30th Con-gress, 1st Session, 1847-1848, page 48.'These resolutions and discussions were considered of such importancein showing the attitude of Texas toward the question agitating the pub-lic mind in 1848, that they were reprinted in 1855, when the controversyover the matter began to move the Texans to action.-Galvesion News,October 30, 1855.